SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife mothers can expect to have the option to go through their pregnancy with a midwife by the 2016/17 fiscal year, according to Health Minister Tom Beaulieu.
Johanna Tiemessen shows her support of midwifery services in the NWT by showing up at the NWT legislative assembly last Friday. She asked Health Minister Tom Beaulieu when Yellowknife would see its own midwifery service, to which he said 2016 or 2017. - Katherine Hudson/NNSL photo
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He, along with other regular MLAs, met with the crowd of about 25 mothers, children and supporters of midwifery outside the legislative assembly on Feb. 22, to hear their concerns and to explain the expansion of the midwifery service, which is currently only available in Fort Smith.
"This is important to us that women of the NWT and families of the NWT should have the choice whether they want to have a doctor at their birth or a model of midwifery support," said supporter Johanna Tiemessen.
Midwifery services in Yellowknife were suspended by the Department of Health and Social Services in the spring of 2011 after the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority conducted an assessment of the Yellowknife midwifery program and made a determination it was not effective to run it with just one midwife. By 2016/17, the plan is to have two midwives practising in Yellowknife. Since the services were suspended, there have been public rallies and petitions to get the program back up and running in the capital city and beyond.
"We just need some action in the budget to see more money put towards the program so the program can be a sustainable and viable service to citizens of the NWT," said Tiemessen.
Kris Johnson, another Yellowknife supporter of midwifery services, attended the rally with her son Oliver Bloudov. She had the support of a midwife during her first pregnancy about six years ago but didn't have the option with Oliver.
"I would have gone for sure with a midwife. It would have been way better. Having gone through both, and knowing what I know now … I probably saw nine different doctors over the course of my pregnancy. Towards the end, I got really stressed out, really upset, because I was not sure how it was going to work when I got into the hospital," she said.
Beaulieu gave an update on the development of the program in the legislative assembly last week, saying the plan in the 2013-14 budget includes community consultation activities for Hay River, to review and update midwifery regulations, to hire a Midwifery Program development consultant and community consultation activities for Beaufort Delta communities.
The next step is to implement a midwifery program in Hay River during the 2014/15 fiscal year, followed by a program in the Beaufort Delta the next year.
"I think there's some people (who) want to see us just hire midwifes and start functioning, but we're trying to develop a program that we think is going to be successful, that will be a positive part of the health system in the Northwest Territories," said Beaulieu.
